The Good Word

With the month of July just around the corner and temperatures soaring into the 90’s it seems only fitting to talk a little Georgia Tech basketball. The TECH Fund cycle for our basketball season ticket holders has begun with invoices being mailed this week. Keep in mind that our final ACC schedule will not be completed until sometime in August. We do know that North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Miami, Wake Forest and Clemson will be part of the home schedule. I can also tell you that the non-conference home slate includes a visit by Kansas to the Alexander Memorial Coliseum on December 18.

The price for individual game tickets in men’s basketball will remain the same for the coming season and, as a reminder, there is no transfer option for basketball tickets as there was in football.

We are sad to see them leave the Georgia Tech program, but we wish Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young great success in the NBA. You may have seen where Georgia Tech and Florida can become the first schools since 1995 to have players selected in the top 20 selections in football, basketball and baseball in the same year, if Javaris and/or Thaddeus are selected in the top 20 in tonight’s draft, as projected. That’s a whale of an accomplishment and speaks to the quality and character of the student-athletes we are recruiting at Georgia Tech.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

The opportunity to purchase three-game flex packs have now been afforded to all of our season ticket holders, and beginning today Georgia Tech Alumni and donors to the Alexander-Tharpe fund who do not hold season tickets will be given a window of opportunity to get in on the three-game deal. We accomplished our goal of having our highest profile games – Georgia and Clemson – offered to our friends, alumni and donors first as part of the flex pack option.

The general public will be offered the flex pack plan for all games in which tickets remain, but it’s likely those customers would only be able to access a Georgia or Clemson ticket through the purchase of a full seven-game season ticket. Those remain on sale right up through the season opener.

PARKING

Also, fans are encouraged to complete and return their application for parking right away, indicating your preference for the various lots available. We will begin assigning parking in early July so it is important to return your application soon. Parking preferences will be assigned according to A-T priority points.

NOTRE DAME

We are getting a lot of inquiries regarding the status of tickets for our opener at Notre Dame on September 1. Information I have received from our ticket office says that our requests far exceed our contracted allotment. Again, these tickets will be assigned in A-T priority point order. All fans who ordered Notre Dame tickets will be notified by mid-July as to the status of your order.

NEW SOFTBALL STADIUM

Some of you may have heard that a recent sale of land by the Institute has made it necessary to relocate our softball complex and golf practice area in the near future. An architectural firm was recently selected to design the new softball field for our Yellow Jacket program. Atlanta-based Rosser International was selected to design the stadium. Shortly we will get concept drawings and finalize the selection of a construction firm.

The new stadium will be located in the site of the upper O’Keefe Gym parking lot, adjacent to the historic O’Keefe High School building. This location will create a corridor of activity for all or our athletic events and place softball into the hub of our athletics plant.

Construction is scheduled to begin in December with the first pitch in the new ballpark set for February of 2009. We are working on the impact to our parking situation for the upcoming basketball season and beyond and should have a plan formulated in the very near future.

We are very excited about the move of softball to campus and Coach Sharon Perkins and her team are looking forward to this new chapter in Georgia Tech softball.

MEDIA RELATIONS

I’m please to report the hiring of a new Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations here at Tech. Dean Buchan, highly-regarded media chief at Wake Forest and Kansas over the last 17 years, has agreed to head up our media efforts.

Our relationship with the local and national media is a top priority. Dean will work closely with Wayne Hogan, our Associate AD for Public Relations. We are very fortunate to have attracted someone with Dean’s experience. He commands great respect from the many media folks who have covered the ACC in recent years. Dean will begin his new role on July 16 and will assume duties as our primary media contact for football.

I continue to feel good about the turnaround in our external operation. Over the last year we have completely re-structured our promotions and events area, now headed by Jennifer Pierce, and now have re-focused our media efforts. Under Wayne’s guidance we have a more cohesive and coordinated effort on our external side of the house. With Wes Durham (radio/TV), Todd McCarthy (video services) and Scott McLaren (ticketing and sales) joining with Jennifer and Dean, Wayne’s group will continue their work to craft the message that builds loyalty and furthers the Georgia Tech brand.

You should already begin to see the shift in our marketing and branding strategies as we target a whole new demographic. I’ll have more on that effort in future editions of The Good Word.

THANK YOU

It is with my deepest gratitude that I thank all of you for your continued support of Georgia Tech athletics. I fully realize that we have changed a lot and asked a lot of our fan base in the last few months. The reasons behind our fiscal paradigm shift have been well-documented and discussed at great length both internally and externally. Through it all, thousands of Tech fans have come through for us in a major way. The understanding and support are what make this place so special!

As always, we welcome your feedback ( goodword@athletics.gatech.edu ). Please know that even if I’m not able to send a personal message back to everyone, I do read each email and appreciate the support and passion of every Georgia Tech fan.